Phyllida Law, a veteran stage and screen performer, died on July 27 at her home at age 94, according to her manager. Law’s career spanned eight decades and included numerous television appearances and film roles, establishing her as a prolific character actress.
Law appeared alongside her two daughters, Dame Emma Thompson and Sophie Thompson, in several productions. She played Mrs Bates in the 1996 film adaptation of Jane Austen’s Emma, with Sophie portraying her character’s daughter. The pair also starred together in the 1992 film Peter’s Friends and Sir Kenneth Branagh’s 1993 adaptation of Much Ado About Nothing. Law and Dame Emma worked together again in the 1997 film The Winter Guest, directed by Alan Rickman, and Law provided voice work for Dame Emma’s 2005 film Nanny McPhee.
Born in Glasgow in 1932, Law studied at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School after initially planning to pursue set design. She was married to actor Eric Thompson, known for his work on The Magic Roundabout, from 1957 until his death in 1982. Law’s television credits included appearances in Dixon of Dock Green, Rumpole of the Bailey, Midsomer Murders, Foyle’s War, Doc Martin, and New Tricks. She also appeared in films including Anna Karenina, Saving Grace, and Miss Potter.
Law’s stage career included performances in John Mortimer’s A Voyage Round My Father in London’s West End in 1971, Alan Bennett’s Habeas Corpus in 1973, and La Cage Aux Folles at the London Palladium in 1986. She starred with John Hurt in the short film Love at First Sight, which received an Oscar nomination in 2012. Law received an OBE in 2014 for her contributions to drama and charitable services. She was survived by her family, including her granddaughter Gaia Thompson, daughter of Dame Emma.
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